Bathing suit



Aug. 19,1924.

1,505,766 J. M. COM as BATHING SUIT Filed May 234 192) INVENTOR flf-- ATTORNEY Patented Aug.'19, 1924.

warren s'rArEs JAMES M. COMBS, 0F AKRON,'OHIO.

BATHING SUIT.

Application filed May 23, 1921. Serial No.j471,730.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMns M. (learns, a citizen of the United States, residing at Akron, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Bathing Suits, of which the following is a specification. v

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in bathing suits and life preservers and refers particularly to a bathing suit having inflatable portions which may be employed to supp wearer in the water.

It is an object of the invention to provide a thoroughly practicable bathing suit of simple, inexpensive construction, which will float the wearer upon the water.

Another object is to providean inflatable bathing suit which when not inflated will have the appearance of an ordinary bathing suit and which may be quickly and conveniently inflated when desired.

A still further object is to provide a bathing suit having pockets and to provide inflatable tubes or bags which may be detachably secured in said pockets so that the same may be removed for repair, replace ment or other purposes.

The above and additional objects are accomplished by the novel construction, com-.

bination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and illustrated injthe accompanying drawings wherein I have shown a preferred embodiment of the invention, it being understood that the invention is capable of various adaptations and that changes, variations and modifications may be resorted to which come within the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawings in which similar nu1nerals of reference have been employed to designate like parts as the same may occur in the several views:

F igure 1 is a front elevational view of ort the I manner of joining the same to an inflation.

stem.

Figure 6 is constructed in tion. I

Proceeding now with a detailed description of the invention, a bathing suit constructed in accordance therewith comprises a side elevation of a garment accordance with this invena main body 6 which may be composed of any suitable material such as knitted or woven fabric. An extra ply 7 of fabric is seen-red to. the inner side of the body 6 in the form ofa wide belt soas to form a garment, the centralportion of which is provided with a double wall. The upper edge of the inner wall 7 is secured to the body 6 by means of the seam 8 which extends en-. tn-ely around the garment and the bottom ofsaid inner wall 7 is likewise secured to said body ,6 by means of the seam 9. Tlhe;

from the seam 9 and terminate in spaced relation to the seam 8, thus forming a plurality of pockets which are alternately connected at their upper and lower ends and. 1

form a continuous pocket or casing 12. An inflatable tube 13preferably composed of rubber or other elastic material is placed in the pocket or casing 12 so as to extend around the body of the suit in a series of vertical folds.

I prefer to employ two inflatable tubes 13 each closed at one end and each provided at the other end with an inflation stem 14 which is connected by a Y-member 15 to a tube 16 which is provided with an inflation valve 17.

The numeral 18 denotes a pinch clamp which is placed on one of the stems 14 for a purpose hereinafter disclosed. The body 6 is provided with a pocket 19 which is formed on the outside. thereof for the purpose of holding the Y-me-mber 15 and the tube 16.

The pocket 19 is provided with openings which lead intothe pockets 12 and one of the tubes 13 is placed in the pocket 12 so that it extends around the forward part of the body and theother tube is placed in operated.

said pocket so as to extend around the body in an opposite direction. V i

In the modification of the invention shown in Figure 3, I have provided a structure which, while practically identical with the structure above described, may be more quickly and more economically n1anufac formed. The'walls are further connected by the vertical seams 10 and 11, thus providing a structure practically identical with the structure first above described.

In use, the tube 16 may be taken from the pocket 19 and conveniently inflated by the wearer, whereupon the pinch clamp 18 is If the wearer then desires to use the suit with only the rear portioninflated, the valve 17 is released and the air in the forward tubes 13 is allowed to escape. If the wearer desires to use the suit with only the forward part inflated the pinch valve 18 is closed before inflation. I

Ordinarily the suit is used with both tubes inflated so that a puncture or other injury to the one of the tubes 13 will not effect the buoyancy of the other tube.

While I have shown the extra ply 7 of fabric secured to the inner face of the body 6, it' is. to be understood that it may, if de-, sired, be secured to the outside of the suit It is also to be understood that a single tube '13 may be employed and that other changes may be made which come within the scope of'the appended claims.

'I-Iaving thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is 1. In a garment-of the class described, a

waist portion having an outer and an inner wall, a seam joining said walls at the upper extremity of said waist portion, a seam oining said walls at the, lower extremity theresaid portions so as to form a ClICL1111f6I6Dr,

tially extending series of communicating pockets therebetween. i

3. In a garment of the class described, a jacket portion and a pants portion, the pants portion extending upwardly underneath the jacket portion, a circumferentially extending seam joining the upper edge of the pants portion to the jacket portion, a second seam joining said portions, said second seam extending around the garment below the first named scam in spaced relation theretoand vertical seams additionally positioned between the first and second named seams so as to form a plurality of communicating pockets.

at. In a garment of the class described, a jacket portion and a pants portion, the pants portion extending upwardlly underneath the jacket portion, a circumferentially extending seam joining the upper edge of the pants portion to the jacket por- ,tion, a second seam joining said portions,

said second seam extending around the garment below the first named sea-m in spaced relation thereto and vertical seams additionally positioned between the first and second named seams so as to form a plu rality of con'nnunicating pockets and an inflatable elastic tube positioned in said pockets substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JAMES M. COMES. 

